-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. economy exceeded forecasters ' expectations in February , adding 175,000 new positions . This is a welcome jump from the paltry 75,000 jobs gained in December and 113,000 in January -- which had constituted the weakest back-to-back monthly figures in three years -- but the unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 % . And we are still far off pace for the recovery federal officials would like to see as they scale back a massive bond-buying program .

The fact is there is a fundamental shift underway that we must address to get the economy humming again : the steady substitution of human labor with computers . More companies are mechanizing positions traditionally reserved for flesh-and-blood workers . Low-cost software is replacing blue - and white-collar jobs alike .

A recent study by Oxford University researchers projected that up to 45 % of U.S. jobs could be replaced by computers within the next two decades .

America needs to adapt to this shift , or these lackluster job gains are going to become the new normal . And there is no better place to start than our schools .

The fact is American teens are falling behind in key subjects that will prepare them for the new age of computing . In the most recent global education assessment , America 's 15-year-olds scored below the international average in math and about average in science and reading . Furthermore , many of the specific skills our kids are learning in school today wo n't prepare them at all for the professional world they 'll enter .

Our schools need to change . And there is a clear strategy for how to do it .

But first , the essence of the challenge . The first wave of professional technologies replaced physical laborers -- car production lines , for instance , evolved from a series of Bobs and Joes with specific technical proficiencies to just a handful of hyper-efficient assembly bots .

Today , processors and software have grown so sophisticated that they can replicate core cognitive functions once thought to be the exclusive domain of humans . You can now hire computers to do your taxes and trade stocks . And these replacement technologies usually operate at much lower cost and higher reliability than their brain-ware competitors .

MIT scholars Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee have been particularly perceptive in formulating strategies for how Americans can adapt to this seismic shift in the labor market . They note it 's futile to try to outcompete ; the flip side of the John Henry legend is that humans will eventually lose any direct competition with machines .

Instead , they point to a teamwork model exemplified in competitive chess .

About a decade ago , programs like Deep Blue started beating the top grandmasters on a regular basis . In response , there emerged what 's called `` freestyle '' chess , which pairs a human and computer together -- the machine crunches the numbers and the person consults on broader strategy .

It turns out that freestyle teams -- even when they include a mediocre human player -- can beat the top computers and grandmasters . This pairing synthesizes what each partner does best for a more complete chess strategy .

The key lesson here is that American workers need to be trained to complement the raw processing and networking power of computers with uniquely human facilities , like evaluating subtle social cues and crafting macro strategies . Workers should use their wetware to amplify the software .

This insight has clear implications for how to reform our schools so they can better prepare students for the new age of computing .

First , classroom learning needs to shift focus from the accumulation of particular facts and figures -- How many countries are in Europe ? When did Columbus arrive in America ? -- to a broader emphasis on flexible analytical thinking and strategizing . After all , most Americans already have instant access to the sum total of human knowledge in the phone in their pocket . What will distinguish the workers of the future is an ability to harness , filter and synthesize all that data .

Second , computers need to play a more central role in all learning . Young people need to feel comfortable using machines to meet a wide variety of educational ends .

Third , schools need to teach entrepreneurship . Seeing business opportunities and then executing on them is a skill . It can be learned like geology and history . Young people need to be encouraged to take a critical eye to the world around them , find the inefficiencies and then problem-solve their way to potential solutions .

Do n't get me wrong : personality will be a key differentiator between machines and people for the foreseeable future . There will always be a role for the best-in-class customer service-orientated people with great personalities who can instantly establish an emotional connection to their customers .

But the new age of computing is deeply disrupting the American labor market . By training the next generation of American workers how to complement -- not compete with -- these fabulous new technologies , our schools can ensure this country will flourish for decades to come .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Adam Lewis .

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Adam Lewis : Jobs up last month ; but this conceals reality about changing job picture

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He says U.S. must adapt to major ongoing shift of replacing human jobs with computers

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He says U.S. 's lagging schools must focus on flexible thinking , computers , entrepreneurship

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Lewis : Next generation should learn how to complement , not compete with , new technologies